Wrench



June l 1926. l

v J. A. PETERSON WRENCH f Filed June 9. 1925 d() INVENTOR AT NEYs.

Patented June l, 1926.

PATENT orf-FICE.

JOSEPH A. PETERSON, 0F COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS.

WRENCH.

Application mea June 9, 1925. serial No. 35,842'.

My invention relates to a wrench. It is the general-object of the invention to pro-v vide a novel form of quick-acting wrench which will be of simple yet sturdy construction, cheap to manufacture, and serviceable in use. It is a more specific object to provide a wrench with serrated gripping jaws, the serrations of which `are rounded on the active sides so as to prevent injury to an angular body. Other minor objects willv be apparent as the specification proceeds.

Briefly stated, in the preferred form of 'the invention I provide two jaw members having complementary -gripping surfaces. One of these jaws is pivotally mounted on a handle member, while the other of said jaws is both pivotally and .slidably mounted thereon. The rear ends of the two jaws are pivotally connected to each other. A spring serves to urge the two jaws toward the closed position. l

In the drawings which show, for illustrative purposesonly, a preferred form of the invention- Fig. 1 is a front view in elevation of a wrench embodying features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the wrench shown in Fig. 1, a part being broken away to illustrate interior structure;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to-Fig. 2, but showing parts in different positions; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating a feature of the invention.

In said drawings, 5 indicates a jaw member having a gripping surface 6, preferably grooved or serrated for the purpose of securing a better grip on an object. 7 indicates a second jaw member having a grippingY surface 8, complementary to the gripping surface 6 and'also preferably grooved or serrated. The jaws 5 and 7 are mounted on what may be termed a handle member 9 and are-movable thereon to various positions of adjustment for gripping objects of various sizes within the limits 'of a,d]ustment of the wrench. v

In the specific form shown the handle member 9 is .forked or slotted at the upper end,`thetwo arms of the fork being-'designated 10, 11. `The jaw 5 in the form shown fits between the two arms 10,11 and is ivotally connected thereto by means of a pin 12. The jaw 7 may also lit between the two arms 10, 11 and is both pivotally and slidably Gonnected to the handle member 9, as will be later described.

.The rear end of the jaw 7 vis preferably pivotally connected to the rear end of the jaw 5, and for that purpose I may round the end of the jaw 7 so as to form a. pivot; 13 which may it in'to the correspondingly rounded recess 14 in the jaw 5. This pivotal mounting permits a limited movement of the jaws relatively to each other, as will be later described.

In the present disclosure the jaw 7 isv slotted, as indicated at 15, .and a `pin 16 secured to the handle member 9 is slidable 1n the slot and secures the handle and jaw together. Rearwardly of the slot 15 the jaw 7 may havek a bore 17 extending to the end thereof, and a spring 18 may be positioned 1n the' bre 17, which spring extends into the slot 1-5. The spring may bear on suitable abutments 19, 20, which. in turn rest respectively against the pin abutment 21 on the arm 5.

The operation'of the wrench is as follows j In Fig. 2 the jaws are in their innermost or closed positions. In order to open the wrench so as to grip an object we may assume, for the purpose of description, that the jaw 5 is held stationary and the lower end of the handle moved toward the right f as viewed inthe drawings. Fig. 3 shows the handle after such movement. ing the handle 9 the pivot 12 remains in fixed position (since we have assumed the jaw4 e held stationary), andthe pin 16 therefore swings or rotates about the center of the pin 12 as an axis. The pin 16 will therefore slide in the slot 15 and will carry the upper end of the jaw 7 downwardly and toward the left, as viewed in the drawings. Durino this movement the lower end 13 of the javi;

7 will rotate in its bearings 14 on the jaw 5. During this movement the spring 18 is compressed and constantly urges vthe jaws toward their closed position. The wrench may then be caused to grip any suitable object, such as a nut, and is used inthe usual `(gbviously, since movement of the handle 9 toward the right as viewed in the figures tends to open t the left tends to close the jaws, and therefore, in using the wrench, the active direc'- tion of rotation would be l clockwise, as'

16 and a tail or In move jaws, movement towards v viewed in the drawings, and such movement tends to cause the jaws to grip more tightly the greater the force applied on the handle. lVhen there is no object being gripped by the jaws and the parts are free to move, the

spring 18, acting between the pin 16 and the lower end of the jaw 5, immediately returns the jaws from the open position shown in Fig. 3 to the closed position shown in Fig. 2.

Now, in most wrenches having grooved or serrated gripping jaws with which I am familiar, the grooves or serrations are substantially V-shaped and have straight sides defining relatively sharp edges atthe free ends of the serrations. I prefer to make the active sides of the serrations on the respective jaws well rounded, as indicated at 22, 22 (see Fig. 4). This wrench may therefore be safely used for gripping an object, such as a nut 23, without danger of mutilating the same or rounding the corners, as lwould ordinarily be done with the usual sharp serrated jaws or even Hat jaws on the wrenches with which I am familiar.

It will be seen that I have provided ya' serviceable, sturdy wrench of very simple construction, and one which can be made relatively cheaply.

While the spring 18 is advantageous in that it keeps the jaws in engagement with an object to be gripped, the utility of the wrench is' not dependent upon the spring and the same might be dispensed with.

Vhile the invention has been described in great detail and one specific embodiment shown, I do not wish to be confined to the exact form shown, since many changes may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a wrench, two jaws having complementary gripping faces, and a handle member, one of said jaws being pivotally mounted on the handle memhenand the other jaw being pivotally mounted on the first-mentioned `jaw at a point yrearwardly of the pivot mounting between said handle member and jaw and being slidably mounted on the handle.

2. In a wrench, two jaws having complementary gripping faces thereon, and allandle member, one of saidjaws being pivotally mounted on the handle, and the other of saidjaws being pivot-ally mounted on the first-mentioned jaw at a point rearwardly of the pivot mounting between said handle member and jaw and being pivotally mounted on the handle.

3. In a wrench, two jaws having complemental-y gripping surfaces, and a handle member, one of said jaws being pivotally mounted on the handle, and the other of said jaws being pivotally mounted on the first-mentioned jaw at a point rearwardly of the pivot mounting between said handle member and jaw and being slidably and pivotally mounted on the handle member.

4. In a wrench, two jaws having complementary gripping faces, and a handle member, said jaws being movably connected together and both jaws being mounted on said handle member at points forwardly of the point at which said jaws are connected together.

5. In a wrench, Ctwo jaws having compleinentary grippingk faces, a handle member, said jaws being pivotally connected 'to `each other, one of said jaws being pivotally mounted on the handle member, the other of said jaws being pivotally and slidably mounted on the handle member, the point of connection between said jaws being located in rear of the points of connection between said jaws and handle member, and a spring for urging said jaws toward each other.

6. In a wrench, two jaws having complementary gripping faces, a handle member, one of said jaws being pivotally mounted on the handle member, the other of said jaws having a slot therein, a pin on said handle member and extending within said slot, said jaws being connected together,

and a spring engaging said pin and serving to urge said jaws toward each other.

7. In a wrench, two jaws .having compiementary gripping faces. a handle member having the forward end slotted, said two jaws litting in said slotted end of said handle, a pivot for pivotally securing one of said jaws to' said handle member, a pin extending hetween the sides of said slotted end, said other jaw having a slot to receive said pin to pivotally and slidably secure said jaw to said handle member, and means for pivotally securing 'said jaws to each other.

8. In the combination defined in claim 7,

and a spring in said slot for urging the 0gripping surfaces of said jaws toward each other.

9. In the combination defined in claim i'.-

said means for pivotally securing said jaws to each other comprising a rounded end on one jaw and the other jaw having a rounded recess to receive said rounded end.

JOSEPH A. PETERSON. 

